The Tenyu Star
by Schtolteheim Reinbach III
Summary: What could have made the man in black change his mind about Fire Bringer? (end of game spoilers, violence, not-entirely-con) Chapter 2 now up: Die Freche Katze!
1. Der Wille zur Geschlecht

**

The Tenyu Star  
Chapter One: Der Wille zur Geschlecht

**

Broken and bruised after the thrashing Geddoe had given him, Yuber had managed to teleport away from the ceremonial site where Luc was about to unleash the power of the True Wind Rune. He hadn't gotten far enough away to escape the blast that would come - but then, he could probably live through it, even after the beating he'd received.

In fact, he wasn't terribly injured, and not a trace of blood showed on his body anymore; the unearthly powers had healed him nearly completely, but his energy was sorely depleted. He needed to rest for awhile.

As he collapsed to his knees on the stairs before him, gasping for breath, he looked around to see where he was. Just his luck... he'd managed to teleport to Budehuc Castle.

The sound of footsteps behind him made him rise to his feet again, despite his weariness. "You!" a young female voice shouted indignantly, and he turned amongst the sound of clanking metal to find a little girl in a suit of armor running at him, her spear readied.

"Cecile! Let him be,"came a slightly older male voice behind her, and Yuber met the amber eyes of Thomas, master of Budehuc Castle, without the slightest bit of fear. "You're Yuber," the teenage boy continued, more calmly than Yuber had expected. "What are you doing here?"

Luc was as good as gone now, Yuber reasoned - and he had nothing better to do, he thought with a smile. He let the smile remain on his lips as he replied, "I've come to speak with you, Thomas, about joining the army gathered here at Budehuc Castle."

Thomas didn't look fazed by the request. "Well, certainly... we'll talk in the meeting hall, if that's all right."

"Thomas!" Cecile protested, nudging her master with her shield. "That's _Yuber!_ You can't just invite him into the castle..."

"And why not? Budehuc welcomes those from Zexen and the Grasslands, as well as those from anywhere else who might come peacefully."

"'Peacefully' would be the key word, I suppose," Sebastian put in from behind him, mopping his brow as he regarded Yuber uneasily.

"I accept your invitation," said Yuber, stepping forward - and causing Cecile to take a step back nervously. "Shall we, then?"

Thomas nodded. "I'll meet you in the hall when you're ready. As a gesture of your good faith, I ask that you knock first to make sure I'm ready to meet with you."

"So be it." Yuber nodded, almost respectfully, but his lips curled into a more devious smile as Thomas and his entourage passed, Cecile still glancing at him with a suspicious glare from time to time. He couldn't help chuckling a little under his breath. Oh, this would be terribly fun...

  


x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

  


Just a few minutes later, he was standing in front of the large double-doors that led to the meeting hall. He pulled his hat down a little further over his eyes, and raised his hand to knock.

"One moment, please," the pleasant voice inside replied, sounding slightly breathless, and Yuber smirked. The boy was probably in there shaking.

A few more moments passed, and then Thomas spoke again. "Thank you for your patience - do come in."

Yuber didn't bother opening the door - he simply teleported the short distance to the other side. It had a tendancy to unnerve people. This time, however, it was him who was somewhat surprised - every light in the room was off. Not that it bothered a being like him, however.

But before the split second it took for his inhuman eyes to adjust, a match had been lit on the far side of the room. The young castle master sat at the desk, holding the tiny flame which illuminated little besides his face. "So, Yuber," he said, rather nonchalantly, "after all this time aiding Luc, thwarting our plans at every step, murdering our troops... you want to join us?"

Thomas wasn't stupid, it seemed, and Yuber smirked again. "Perhaps 'join' isn't the correct word..."

"No, I believe it is."

The statement was surprisingly firm, and Yuber raised an eyebrow beneath the hat, tilting the brim up slightly to regard the boy with curiosity. "Is that so...?"

"Yes."

The match, burning dangerously low against Thomas' fingertips, was dropped onto the desk, where a collection of candles waited. The small flame flared up as it met one wick, and others caught also. Soon, the room was bathed in the flickering glow of a row of candles, and it illuminated something Yuber hadn't expected at all.

"You'll renounce any vows you made to Luc and his cause before you leave this room."

Yuber regarded the boy curiously. His eyes were quite steady, not the slightest bit afraid of who stood before him. He'd stood as he dropped the match, and his arms were crossed firmly. "That's rather presumptuous of you, Thomas," Yuber commented, preparing to slide one of his long thin blades from their hiding place in his sleeve. They were useful as bargaining tools. "What makes you think that you could make me renounce my vows? Presuming, of course, that I had made any - oaths are not my style."

In a sudden motion, Thomas uncrossed his arms, letting the jacket and trousers he wore fall to the ground behind him, revealing an outfit that rivaled Yuber's fondest daydreams. The boy's pale, scholarly skin stood out sharply against black leather, drawn nearly skin-tight over legs, arms, and torso, revealing all the lines of the slender teenage body in the firelight. It left his belly exposed, and the light glinted off the last thing Yuber would have expected to see (though admittedly, most of this would have been rather low on the list) - a navel ring.

Thomas smiled a rather different smile than the innocent one Yuber had seen before, and raised his right hand, revealing the many strands and barbs of a cat-o-nine-tails. "You will join us."

Yuber was caught well off-guard, and began to teleport away to regroup. Unfortunately, he was still weakened from the earlier battle, and before he completed the motion, Thomas had him from behind, the weapon wrapped around his neck. "You will join with Fire Bringer," he repeated.

The cat-o-nine-tails barbs dug into Yuber's neck, and he could feel the blood trickling down beneath the collar of his shirt. "Like hell I will," he growled through gritted teeth.

Again he tried to teleport away, but he was too weakened to do more than flicker. The barbs dug deeper into his neck, and a slight cry of pain escaped him, much to his annoyance. Thomas chuckled in his ear, then dropped him to the floor. "You're at my mercy, Yuber - you'll do anything I say."

"Maggot," Yuber hissed painfully, and was rewarded by the barbed whip slashing down over his back, shredding his clothing and drawing blood in a single strike.

"Call me master."

"Never!"

The whip struck again, tearing down his back with lines of fiery agony, and Yuber cried out despite himself, curling his arms around himself as he sank lower on the floor. "Now, what am I?"

"Maggot!"

The whip struck again and again, each time opening new wounds, until Yuber gagged in pain. "Master... master..." he managed to gasp, staring at the blood that trickled down his bare sides, his shirt having been torn away entirely by Thomas' blows.

Thomas stopped then, but Yuber continued to tremble, curled before him on the floor. "Very good. Thank you, Yuber," Thomas' voice said, sounding much more like the pleasant boy everyone usually assumed he was. "Now then, as I am the Tenkai star, the one who gathers the Stars of Destiny together, I have the authority to add you to our group, even though the Flame Champion is in charge of our operations. Will you join us?"

Having recovered slightly, Yuber had just enough nerve to turn his head and spit at Thomas' feet. "Go to hell," he growled.

He'd more or less expected the cat-o-nine-tails to break over his back again, but the expectation made it no less painful. "Yes, yes," he was whimpering when he came to his senses. "I'll join you... I'll do anything you say..."

"Ah, much better. Well then, since we've come to an agreement, how about your oath?"

"I swear - I swear," Yuber stammered painfully, "I'll do as you say... Mast... Master Thomas... even unto death..."

"Wonderful - I'm glad we could come to this understanding." His footsteps moved around from where he'd been standing, behind Yuber, to before him where his hat had fallen, and Yuber dared to look up, only to see Thomas smiling rather pleasantly. "Now, suck me."

Yuber could hardly believe his ears. "I beg your pardon? Master," he added hastily as Thomas' fingers caressed the handle of the cat-o-nine-tails.

"I said, suck me," Thomas hissed, grabbing hold of Yuber's hair and pulling his head up against his groin. Through the leather, Yuber could feel a stiffness and a heat that was unmistakable, and he choked as he realized Thomas was serious.

His limbs were still trembling with pain, and it took effort to make his fingers unlace the tight leather Thomas wore. Having done so, he took the boy's hard member into his mouth, caressing him with his lips and tongue, and the boy moaned with pleasure.

It wasn't so terrible, Yuber thought, but just as he was becoming used to it, Thomas' hands clenched in his hair and pulled him closer still. "Deeper," Thomas ordered him. "Take me in deeper."

Yuber obliged as well as he could, controlling his breathing to minimize the gag reflex as Thomas' hands pulled at his hair, fingernails digging into his scalp, until finally the boy came, clutching at Yuber's hair for support and leaning upon his shoulders as his body softened.

At long last, he sighed and straightened, relacing his leathers casually, and going to pick up his jacket and trousers from where he'd left them on the floor. "Well then, that's settled. Who is your master, Yuber?"

Yuber swallowed hard, wiping his lips with the back of a bloodied hand. "You are... Master Thomas, Tenkai Star."

"That's right, and you are the Tenyu Star - welcome to Fire Bringer." 

The mild-mannered smile was back in place, and as Thomas straightened his worn jacket , Yuber could scarcely believe that this was the same boy who had dominated him so completely. "It'll be... a pleasure."

"Well then, I have things to attend to around the castle - I'll let you know if you can be of any help. If you'll excuse me..."

Still on his knees, Yuber stared after Thomas as he left the room, closing the door behind. He'd been humbled, humiliated, and utterly baffled by these developments... and incredibly turned on. He definitely had underestimated the boy castle master, and badly. Now he was one of the Stars of Destiny... and at Thomas' mercy.


	2. Die Freche Katze

**

The Tenyu Star  
Chapter Two: Die Freche Katze

  
**

Yuber was on his knees. Again. 

He hated being on his knees. 

The boy in the upholstered chair behind the desk seemed to be seated comfortably, however, and after recent events, Yuber could not bring himself to think of that as unfair. If Thomas was not comfortable, it only meant that Yuber would be made more uncomfortable. 

For the time being, Yuber's only discomfort was a bit of an ache in his back from bending over to wash the floorboards with a rather small brush - unmeritedly small, he might have said. But Yuber didn't know anything about washing floors, as he'd never done it before this last month of labor, and Thomas was very particular about details. Yuber indulged him in the use of the small brush - it was easier than trying to defy his master. 

The last month had been so hard that indeed, the only discomfort was the ache in his back. His pride had been wounded so deeply by Thomas that it caused him no further pain; he assumed it to be dead and gone. 

It was a rather good thing, in Yuber's mind, that Thomas was preoccupied with the documents on his desk, and not paying any attention to him. He simply finished scrubbing one board, buffed and polished it with a bit of fleece, and went on to the next as quietly as he could manage. (For some reason, Master Thomas insisted that he clean only one floorboard at a time, which made no sense to Yuber, but he wasn't going to argue about household cleaning.) 

His cleaning was interrupted as Cecile bounced in cheerfully. "Package for you, Thomas!" 

The end of her halberd had knocked against the bucket of soapy water, causing it to scuff across the floor, and Yuber winced. He'd have to do those floorboards next, before Thomas saw the scuff marks and decided it was his fault. 

Fortunately, his master was preoccupied with Cecile's arrival, and the bundle wrapped in paper which she held out to him. "Oh? What's this...?" 

"I don't know - it's for you, so I didn't open it," the girl told him, setting her halberd (and again scuffing the floor, much to Yuber's dismay) with a proud smile. "It could be top-secret correspondance only for the eyes of the castle master! It's from Estella," she added, "but you never know." 

"Oh, Estella!" Thomas exclaimed, smiling pleasantly. If only that little girl knew the way her dear castle master smiled when she wasn't around, Yuber thought. "Well then, I can guess what it is. Thank you for delivering it straight to me, Cecile. It's not top-secret, exactly, but it's nothing you'd be interested in." 

"Oh?" Cecile leaned forward curiously as he placed the parcel on the desk. "How can you be so sure?" 

"It's, er... boy stuff." Thomas blushed slightly, which Yuber found ridiculous. 

"Hmm? A secret between you and Rody?" 

"Not quite..." Thomas looked a bit flustered now, but continued to smile as he shook his head, gesturing towards the door. "Estella bought him something, and I wanted to know where she got it - it looks like she just sent another one along instead." 

"Oh... okay..." Cecile still looked curious, but she did as Thomas suggested and left, closing the door behind her. 

Unfortunately, this left Thomas alone with Yuber once again, and the boy was eyeing him in a way that certainly suggested interest. Yuber lowered his eyes demurely and went back to scrubbing the floor, hoping Thomas would return to his paperwork, or spend some time opening his package... or something. 

"So, my little demon..." Thomas crooned, in a much different tone than he'd used to speak to Cecile, "would you like to know what Estella sent me?" 

Yuber had to think about this for a moment, and came to the conclusion that an affirmative response might make him look pushy, while a negative response might make him look disrespectful. "...If you would deign to share such information with me, your lowly servant, I could only consider it an undeserved privilege," he said finally, keeping his eyes humbly downcast. 

Thomas' footsteps approached, and Yuber struggled to remain perfectly still as the boy stood over him. After a brief pause, he felt a hand stroke his head soothingly. "So smart, my little demon - so very smart. Your tongue is as slippery as the rest of you." 

"Thank you, master," Yuber mumbled. Hopefully Thomas would do whatever he wanted to do quickly and forget about him, perhaps get absorbed in whatever it was that was inside the package. 

"Anyhow, I've been waiting for this package for some time," Thomas stated. "And I intended to show you what was inside anyhow." 

Yuber felt his blood run cold at Thomas' next words. "After all, it's for you." 

"A... a gift, master?" Yuber managed to choke out. "You're too kind to such a wretch as myself." 

"Au contraire," Thomas told him suavely, running a finger up Yuber's cheek with possessive fondness. "You're a rather beautiful creature. Even if only a creature... But then, that was the point of this... gift." His footsteps left Yuber's side, returning to the desk, and there was the rustling of paper as Thomas began to unwrap the package. "Your favorite color's black, isn't it?" 

"Yes, master." Yuber would have answered the same even if Thomas had suggested pink, but at least this time it was the truth. 

"And you do look so good in it. Although, the color does carry superstitions with it..." The rustling stopped. "Ah, just as I thought. Beautiful. Do have a look, won't you, Yuber?" 

Yuber dared to raise his eyes, and found Thomas holding up what seemed to be a bodysuit made of some kind of stretchy black fabric. It was sleeveless, with a white collar and black bow tie, and it had a long furry tail attached above the buttoned flap on the rear. With the suit was a headband with furry cat ears attached. 

Yuber's stomach did flip-flops, but he managed to nod appreciatively. "Yes, master - it's quite fetching." 

"I'm glad you approve." Thomas threw the suit and the ears at him. "Now put it on." 

Yuber had become accustomed to stripping in Thomas' presence by now, though usually not simply to change clothes. He did so swiftly enough, and found that in addition to the ears and tail, the suit also had gloves of the same material, past the elbows, with white cuffs and paws. Whatever the suit was made of, it was perfectly form-fitting, and he could not help but feel uncomfortable beneath Thomas' eyes as the boy circled him, looking him over hungrily. 

"What do you say, my little black cat?" 

"Thank you, master," Yuber mumbled. 

The sudden open-handed blow to his backside startled him, and he gasped. "No, no, no," Thomas hissed in his ear. "You're a kitty cat. What do you say?" 

Yuber paused, cringing, and finally arrived at what he hoped was the correct answer. "...Meow." 

"Yes, that's right," Thomas affirmed gently, stroking Yuber's head between the furry ears of the headband. "What a pretty kitty you make, Yuber. What a sweet little kittycat." 

He was applying a subtle but firm pressure to the top of Yuber's head with every stroke, and Yuber sank to his knees, understanding the gesture. Immediately the petting grew softer, and Yuber sighed under his breath. Pretending to be a cat wouldn't be so bad, he supposed. 

Thomas peered down at him, pausing. "Don't you like being petted, kittycat?" 

"Yes, master." Yuber cringed as Thomas drew back his hand. "Er... prrrrrrrr..." 

"Much better," Thomas stated, lowering his hand to pet Yuber again, now stroking from the top of his head down the length of the blond braid. "What interesting noises my kittycat makes..." 

"Mrow. Prrrr. Prrrrrrr." Whatever made Thomas happy, Yuber thought as he continued the act, lifting a hand to lick one of his "paws", and then rubbed his cheek against Thomas' leg. 

"Oh, my kitty likes me," said Thomas with mock surprise. His smile was almost the pleasant one he wore around everyone else, and Yuber felt hopeful - perhaps he'd pleased Thomas enough that he would be released from the ridiculous oath that had been extracted from him. Or at least from all the chores he'd wound up doing. He could deal with being a follower more easily than he could deal with being a slave, and as for the sex... well, though humiliating, it wasn't bad, exactly. With that in mind, he dropped down to his hands and knees, circling Thomas' legs in as feline a manner as he could manage. 

He was halted as Thomas' hand suddenly grabbed his braid, yanking him to a halt. "Such a pretty kitty," Thomas whispered, winding the braid around his hand to ensure a firm grip. "But you know what the superstition is about black cats, don't you?" 

"Ye... mew." All right, Yuber thought - maybe this wasn't a good thing after all. 

"Black cats bring bad luck," Thomas continued, his whisper taking a more menacing tone than kindly. "You're a naughty kitty, Yuber." 

"M-meow..." Yuber shook his head as well as he could manage with Thomas holding his braid so firmly. Of anyone in Budehuc Castle, Yuber knew what _really_ brought bad luck. Of course, he realized with a sinking sensation in his stomach, _he_ was one of the things that usually did bring bad luck upon someone. Even if he could speak without rousing his master's wrath, bringing that up would not help matters. 

"Oh yes. Bad kitty," Thomas reaffirmed. "And bad kitties must be... punished." 

His hand struck another stinging blow on Yuber's rear, and the demon gasped. "Bad kitty!" Thomas exclaimed, as he spanked Yuber again and again. "Bad kitty! Bad, bad kitty!" 

Yuber dared to do nothing but mew pitifully, his head pulled back by Thomas' hold on his braid, as Thomas' blows stung him repeatedly. Worse than the spanking itself was the fact that he could feel himself growing strangely aroused by the action - not to mention the position he was in, on his hands and knees before Thomas, back forcibly arched. Worse than _that_ was the knowledge that in his current attire, he couldn't hide that arousal from Thomas. 

Sure enough, after a time, Thomas stopped striking him and paused to look him over. His chin raised helplessly as Thomas back pulled his braid harder, Yuber stared at the boy who was examining every inch of him. "Hmm... I see kitty has a dirty mind as well," Thomas observed. "Well, now that kitty has been punished, I suppose master must show he still cherishes his kitty, mustn't he?" 

There was no correct response for that, certainly not in feline terms, and Yuber simply mewed quietly again. 

After the beating he'd received, even Thomas' gentle touch on his backside made Yuber clench his teeth, but he said nothing as Thomas unbuttoned the flap in the rear, which had no doubt been put there just for this purpose. The boy's grip on Yuber's braid remained firm, keeping him in position while Thomas' free hand opened his own pants. Tossing the furry tail over one hip, Thomas thrust into Yuber so hard, so suddenly, that Yuber cried out, and nearly fell to the ground. 

"Good kitty," Thomas breathed, leaning over Yuber from behind, and stroking him between the ears again. "Good kitty..." 

Yuber tried to keep his gasping breaths under control as Thomas thrust into him again and again, roughly and without lubrication. Despite the pain, despite the shame that came from being treated like some sort of pet, he found himself growing ever more excited by his master's rough treatment, and he couldn't help whimpering faintly. At the jerk upon his braid that pulled his head back, he tried to make it sound more like purring. 

Thomas was beyond words now, and with one final, powerful thrust, and a yank on Yuber's braid which made Yuber see stars, and which the demon thought might snap his neck, he spurted his seed deep into Yuber. His grip on the braid loosened as he leaned over Yuber again, panting. Again he stroked Yuber's head fondly, scratching behind the furry ears. "That was more fun than I'd expected..." 

Yuber too tried to catch his breath, letting his head hang down at last. Slowly returning to mundane awareness, he sat back on his heels gingerly (making sure he still maintained a cat-like posture, just in case), and discovered that he also had climaxed, spreading a warm stickiness inside the cat costume. 

Thomas came to stand in front of him, zipping up his pants again, and offering him a friendly smile, as if nothing at all had happened. "Kitty needs a bath," he observed, looking at the wet stain at Yuber's crotch. "Well, Yuber - since you've provided me with such entertainment today, why don't you go and take one now? You can go back to washing the floors once you're done." 

The charade seemed to have ended, but Yuber spoke warily. "...Yes, master...?" 

He was not struck this time, and instead Thomas picked up the shirt and pants he'd stripped off earlier and handed them to Yuber. "And it wouldn't do to have everyone else see my kitty in such a state, would it? Put these back on for now. I'll make sure this other outfit gets washed." 

"...Thank you, master," Yuber murmured humbly as he quickly changed out of the soiled cat costume and into his ordinary clothes. 

On his way out of Thomas' office, he passed Cecile coming in. "Boy, that Yuber sure doesn't know how to clean floors," he heard her saying as he made his retreat. "What is all this, soap scum?" 

"He's having a rough day," came Thomas' reply. "I just sent him off to the bath to relax for awhile, and he said he'd finish up later." 

"You're so nice to that nasty old demon, Thomas...!" 

If only she knew, Yuber thought. 


End file.
